The Applicability of the ISD 4-Factor Model of Job Analysis in Identifying Task Training Priority in Nine Technical Military Occupational Specialties.

Siebold, Guy L.

Research was conducted to assess the applicability of the Instructional Systems Development (ISD) job analysis procedures to nine technical aviation maintenance military occupational specialties (MOS). Job analysis questionnaires were developed for each of the nine aviation maintenance MOS's. Research teams administered the questionnaires to groups of job incumbents and supervisors. Job incumbents rated their applicable tasks on a Relative Time Spent Performing scale. Supervisors rated all their MOS tasks on four scales: Task Learning Difficulty, Consequences of Inadequate Performance, Immediacy of Task Performance, and Type of Training. The data indicated that the ISD four-factor model of job analysis was applicable for identifying task training priority in the technical MOS's. The four factor scales correlated highly with the criterion scale (Type of Training) in all MOS's. A further analysis was conducted by splitting the tasks into those expected to be done mostly by incumbents and those inspection, supervision, and management tasks normally done by supervisors. The four factor scales correlated very highly with the criterion scale for the incumbent tasks and moderately highly for the supervisor tasks. Since the relative influence of the factor scales varied by MOS, however, the training priority policy of supervisors appears to be MOS specific, and the model will have to be adapted individually for each specialty. (Author)